Latest News

McGill, News

AUS to create people of colour committee

by Nina Russell on

More in McGill:

At its latest Legislative Council meeting on Jan. 24, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) passed a motion to create an Ad hoc People of Colour Committee to provide a forum for people of colour (PoC) to talk about their experiences as Arts students.

The committee aims to help foster dialogue about discrimination that PoC face, and promote education about race, ethnicity, and culture through events like conversation circles and a multicultural day. AUS hopes the committee will ultimately encourage PoC students to apply for positions at AUS and campaign for its executive offices.

The committee will be open to anyone who self-identifies as a PoC and works for the AUS in any capacity, but events that it hosts will be accessible to all McGill students.

“I think it needs to be understood that PoC already don’t have a lot of space to have these conversations, and it’s more important that [as PoC] we have this space to talk about how we feel right now and what we want before we can engage and interact with everyone else,” Arts Representative Jennifer Chan said. “It’s a first step toward […] greater institutional change. It shows that we, as AUS, are really trying to make student government a more accessible space for people of colour.”

Chan expressed optimism that the new committee will ease the emotional burden on PoC councillors to speak up about racism and microaggressions.

“The labour should not be […] on people of colour to point out racism and so a PoC [committee] would allow for space where we don’t have that burden,” Chan said. “We’re just talking about what happens, how we feel, and I think it would be really productive for us to have these conversations in a safe space.”

The idea for the committee was initially proposed by former AUS vice-president (VP) Communications Chanèle Couture De-Graft, who shared the suggestion with current VP Communications Maria Thomas.

While Thomas says she has not experienced any overt racism during her term, she feels the committee will address passive or subconscious racism in AUS.

“I have come to a meeting and been the only person of colour at the table, and that sometimes, I find is very difficult,” Thomas said. “[Councillors might] be discussing something and being ignorant about something just due to their privilege, and something to me that is so objective and blatant is not so obvious to others, and it can be very isolating.”

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, McGill Environment Students’ Society Co-President Tuviere Okome expressed support for the creation of a space for PoC to discuss sensitive topics within AUS.

“The committee is good because there’s a space to talk about issues which may be sensitive to white people,” Okome said. “I find I get frustrated when I don’t get to speak my mind completely because of an all-white audience who might not react well to what I am saying. The committee helps with the frustration which I imagine a lot of PoC have.”

According to Department of English Student Association VP External Thomas MacDonald, the need for such a space has become increasingly prevalent over the past year following the Students’ Society of McGill University Fall 2017 Referendum question to raise the SSMU General Assembly (GA) quorum to 350.

“This space is especially critical now after many students feel that the [General Assembly] GA quorum raise has effectively shut out some minority voices,” MacDonald said. “Therefore, the onus should not be on this new committee to cater to white students.”

Sports

Names and stories to watch at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games

by Emma Avery, Jordan Foy, Gabe Nisker, Owen Gibbs, Miya Keilin, Ender McDuff, and Nicholas Jasinski on

More in Sports:

The 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games are right around the corner, and a fresh set of Olympic heros are waiting in the wings. The Canadian delegation—225 athletes strong—is the largest in history. While every athlete hopes to capture Olympic gold, only a select few—from a wide variety of backgrounds—will have a shot.

Speed Skating

Emma Avery

As usual, neither Canada’s long-track nor short-track speed skating teams have a shortage of stars. Of particular note on the men’s long-track roster, four-time Olympic medallist Denny Morrison, who incredibly bounced back from both a motorcycle crash in 2015—including a punctured lung and fractured femur—and a stroke in 2016. Morrison will be joined in PyeongChang by his wife, long-track skater Josie Morrison, who looks to cement her presence on the international stage after a career-first World Cup medal in November 2017. Meanwhile, Dutch-born 31-year-old Ted-Jan Bloemen heads into the Games fresh off of four World Cup podium finishes in Fall 2017—including a world record-setting 5000 m time in Salt Lake City.

While only four of the 19 Canadian long-track skaters hail from Quebec, the short-track side—save for one coach and one skater—is entirely Quebecois, including Olympic veterans and power couple Charles Hamelin and Marianne St-Gelais, who have said they will retire later this year. The former, who has four Olympic medals to his name, is competing in multiple short-track events and has a shot at becoming Canada’s most-decorated Olympian ever, while his brother, François, will also return to represent Team Canada again. The women’s roster features a large pool of new talent in three promising Olympic rookies, Kim Boutin, Jamie Macdonald, and Kasandra Bradette.

 

Figure Skating

Jordan Foy

Sending a powerhouse team to the Olympics, Canada is a safe bet to bring home some hardware—especially since the squad is the largest figure skating team at the Games—with 17 skaters in 11 total entries. The team is led by veterans Patrick Chan, Meagan Duhamel, Eric Radford, and flag-bearers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who all hope to go out with a bang before retiring. The team also features some of the next generation’s stars, with as Julianne Séguin and Charlie Bilodeau participating in their first Olympic games.

 

Curling

Gabe Nisker

Your new favourite Olympic event is here: For the first time ever, the 2018 Olympic Games will feature the mixed doubles event in curling. Representing Canada, Alberta’s John Morris and Manitoba’s Kaitlyn Lawes hope to take down seven other pairings from across the world. Morris is a full-time firefighter and author of a curling-specific fitness guide titled Fit to Curl, and Lawes is a sales representative for a curling supplies company. Prior to their run at the Canadian Olympic trials, the two only had one opportunity to practice together. If Olympic mixed doubles curling is on, you’re going to want to “hurry hard” to the nearest television.

 

Bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton

Owen Gibbs

These Olympics have the potential to be very successful for Canadian sliders. In women’s bobsleigh, Kaillie Humphries hopes to become the first-ever bobsledder to win a third consecutive gold medal. On the men’s side, pilot Justin Kripps will arrive in PyeongChang as a gold-medal favourite, rolling off a red-hot World Cup season in which he finished atop the standings. After placing fourth in three of the four luge events in Sochi, the Canadian sliders will aim to add to the single bronze medal in their collection. Outside of Canada, Latvia’s Martins Dukurs is the man to watch: He will be chasing his second consecutive gold in men’s skeleton, and just the third ever for his country.

 

Ski Jump/Nordic Combined

Gabe Nisker

With a rigorous qualification process behind them, two Calgarian ski jumpers hope to land a podium spot in PyeongChang over the next few weeks. Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes will represent the Canadian men and Taylor Henrich will represent the Canadian women.

No Canadians qualified for Nordic Combined events. Instead, you’ll find Germany’s Eric Frenzel, who looks to defend his gold medal from the individual normal hill/10km event at the 2014 Olympics. Silver medallist Akito Watabe from Japan is right on his tail, as is 2010 Olympic gold medalist Jason Lamy-Chappuis from France—who doubles as a French border patrolman when he’s not on the slopes.

 

Cross-country Skiing

Miya Keilin

Alex Harvey, a 29-year-old from Quebec, has earned more medals than any other Canadian skier in non-Olympic competitions. Yet, he has never won a single Olympic medal—similar to his father, Pierre Harvey. Pierre competed in four different Olympic games between 1976 and 1988 as both a cross-country skier and a cyclist, becoming the first Canadian man to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympic games, but without a medal to show for it. He’ll be cheering on his son in PyeongChang with the hopes that the Harveys can finally add an Olympic medal to their long list of accomplishments.

 

Freestyle Skiing

Ender McDuff

After winning more medals (nine) than any other country in freestyle skiing at the 2014 Sochi Games, Canada is a clear powerhouse. As one of the most exciting disciplines on display at the Winter Games, freestyle skiing includes four judged events: Moguls, aerials, halfpipe, and slopestyle, as well as one timed event, ski cross. Canadian teammates have grown accustomed to sharing the podium with one another, fueling team competition and drive; however, Montreal sisters Justine and Chloé Dufour-Lapointe, who split the top two spots in the women’s mogul competition in Sochi, take friendly sibling rivalry to a new level. The Dufour-Lapointe sisters were only the third pair of sisters to share the podium in Olympic history.

 

Alpine Skiing

Nicholas Jasinski

The alpine team event will make its Olympic debut at the 2018 Games in PyeongChang on Feb. 24, joining the men and women’s downhill, super-G, slalom, giant slalom, and combined individual events to round out the alpine skiing schedule. The day-long event will feature competing countries’ top two male and female skiers each individually racing another nation’s skier down parallel slalom courses. Each win earns a country a point, with the lowest combined time serving as a tiebreaker if needed. Sixteen countries will face off in a knockout bracket, seeded by their national team rankings. It’s the first Olympic alpine event to do away with the individual focus of the sport, allowing countries to better participate as a team.

 

Hockey

Jordan Foy

Canadian hockey fans were upset that NHL players won’t be competing in PyeongChang, but that doesn’t mean the tournament won’t be exciting. Ultimately, the league’s unpopular decision might prove to be good for fans, as the playing field this Olympics may be more competitive than it’s ever been. Just because the players on the Canadian team don’t play in the NHL, doesn’t mean they won’t be exciting to root for. For example, Wojtek Wolski broke his neck playing in the Kontinental Hockey League last spring, and now he’s an Olympian. How can you not cheer that guy on?

Meanwhile, the Canadian women look poised to continue their international dominance at the PyeongChang Games as they shoot for their fifth consecutive gold medal. Most of the team that won gold in the 2014 overtime thriller against the United States is back for these games, led by dynamite forward Marie-Philip Poulin—captain of Les Canadiennes de Montréal. Among the many prominent players on the team is McGill alumnus and former Martlet hockey superstar Mélodie Daoust, who is competing in her second Olympic Games. Another name to watch out for is defender Brigette Lacquette, who is the first Indigenous woman to ever play for the Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team.

 

McGill, News

McGill alumni offer new tutoring services to give students more options

by Julie Guichard on

More in McGill:

On Nov. 21, Nimbus Tutoring Inc. launched an online tutoring service that matches McGill students with tutors—often master’s or PhD students—at the university. Nimbus plans to expand to Concordia students within the next few weeks.

According to Nimbus Founder and CEO William Liu, a McGill alumnus from the class of 2017, the idea for the platform came from his poor experiences with McGill’s Tutorial Service, which pairs tutees with undergraduate and graduate student tutors, or alumni who have graduated within the past two years. Tutors must obtain a grade of at least 80 per cent in courses they wish to teach, and teaching can only be done in-person.

“McGill tutorial is all done though email which leads to long waiting times,” Liu said. “Payments are also only done through cash, which many students find awkward.”

To avoid similar inefficiencies or discomfort, Nimbus’ app enables students to schedule and pay for appointments the day of and coordinate with their tutors to arrange plans.

“The tutoring industry is currently fragmented, and could benefit from the integration of technology,” Nimbus Marketing and Communications Director Josephine Kuo said. “We believe that by using technology, we can disrupt this industry and provide a platform that is better for both tutors and students.”

Nimbus describes itself as tutor-centric, since tutors can set their own prices according to their needs. Tutors are free to list their prices between $15 and $40 per hour, but most often charge around $15 to $25 compared to McGill Tutorial Services’ fixed $15 per hour price.

Nimbus’ long-term goal is to provide tutoring in subjects beyond what is found in university curricula.

“We want to expand to other fields, such as music, or hobbies, like pottery, for instance,” Liu said. “The premise is to create a platform where anyone with a speciality can share their knowledge through Nimbus.”

In addition to Nimbus, McGill students have access to many other resources. McGill’s own Tutorial service remains an accessible resource for students seeking help with their coursework. Caroline Monahan, U1 Arts, feels satisfied with the tutoring she received through the university.

“I didn’t have to wait at all,” Monahan said. “As soon as I contacted the tutor, I was able to meet with him. I thought the cost [to] quality ratio was incredible. I was receiving [great] tutoring for $15 dollars per hour. My tutor was flexible [and] could meet me anytime.”

McGill is looking to further improve its tutorial services over the span of this semester. In an email to the The McGill Tribune, Lina Di Genova, interim director of McGill Tutorial Services, shared her plans to solicit feedback from students and student associations to determine areas with high demand for tutoring.

“We will be [identifying] priority areas and [exploring] the possibility of new options, including group tutoring, tutor feedback mechanisms, and online [platform] options,” Di Genova said. “In cases when tutors are not readily available, we work with academic departments to find a tutor to support McGill students.”

In response to the lack of McGill-tailored tutorial services offered online, a company called GradeSlam, also founded by a McGill alumnus, Philip Cutler, has focused its services on online accessibility and unlimited tutoring for an annual fee of $50 per student.

“The GradeSlam tutors are available online 24/7 for any subject and students can work with a tutor for as long as they want, as often as they want,” Jacob Geller, marketing manager at GradeSlam, said.

GradeSlam also offers service called Essay Writing Review. Through this service, students can submit their written work in any field or language and receive feedback within 24 hours.

Student Life

Cafes that are actually conducive to studying: West of campus edition

by Amina Magnin & Ana Earl on

More in Student Life:

With midterms fast approaching, it’s becoming increasingly important for students to find study environments where they can focus to the best of their abilities. Thankfully, Montreal is home to a plethora of cafés, for those growing tired of McGill’s draining and dreary libraries. In addition to the many study spots around McGill and in the Plateau, the area west of campus boasts a multitude of trendy coffee shops for hitting the books. The McGill Tribune has compiled a short guide to help students find the best cafés West of campus for their study preferences.

Café Spoon

Address: 2183 Crescent St, Montreal, QC H3G 2C1
Opening hours:
Weekend (Sat – Sun): 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Weekdays (Mon – Fri): 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Located less than 10 minutes from McGill, this quaint cafe’s bright lighting, fast and free WiFi, and calm background music make it a uniquely cozy place to study. No need to worry about getting hungry throughout the day—Café Spoon’s menu offers a wide range of salads, soups, and sandwiches in the $9 to $10 range. If that’s too pricey, the cafe also offers smaller snacks and pastries—some of which are vegan and vegetarian. Also serving relatively-affordable coffees and teas, Café Spoon has the caffeine fix you need to keep your energy levels high throughout the day. However, with only 10 small tables, the lack of seating space and low number of outlets might not make this coffee shop the ideal place for working in a group or using your computer all day. Nevertheless, Café Spoon is a great place for a productive day of doing readings or studying in solitude.

Yelp rating: 4 / 5 stars
Tribune rating: 4 / 5 stars
Price: $$

 

Café Myriade

Address: 1432 Mackay St, Montreal, QC H3G 2H7
Opening hours:
Weekend (Sat – Sun): 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Weekdays (Mon – Fri): 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.

A 20 minute walk from McGill campus, Café Myriade is a great spot for those who can only work with absolutely no distractions. Located on the serene Mackay Street, this cafe offers a serene environment for those looking to catch up on readings or study textbook notes. And with no free WiFi available, students won’t have the Internet to derail their focus. However, Café Myriade’s very limited food menu, small seating space, and scarcity of outlets mean this spot might not be your best bet during busy study times—especially as midterm season approaches. Its large windows and abundance of natural lighting, relatively calm background music, and variety of affordable drinks do, however, make it a nice place to study for a few hours. Overall, this a great place to grab a coffee or tea, but not necessarily the best place to work for a full day, especially if you find yourself needing Internet for any assignments.

Yelp rating: 4.5/5
Tribune rating: 3/5
Price: $


Cafe Aunja

1448 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC H3G 1K4
Hours: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. everyday

Located on Sherbrooke Street West, just past the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Cafe Aunja has a cozy, eclectic vibe. This Persian cafe serves a wide variety of teas, coffee, and unique breakfast and lunch items, including vegan options, with sandwiches priced around $9 and salads from $4 to $6. As you enter the cafe, you can see that the space is divided into two rooms. In the main room, the tables are large enough to get some work done under big windows and twinkle lights. The cafe is most suited to individual studying as it is mainly furnished with small tables, with only one or two larger ones for groups. Also, the main room is a bit noisy during busy times, so students looking for a quieter work space can take respite in the back room of the cafe, which is more isolated from talkative coffee-goers. In choosing when to visit, note that this cafe gets rather busy in the evenings with guests who come to enjoy live music over dessert, so make sure to come before or after rush time at 6 p.m.. Aunja is open until 10 p.m. every night, so for those who can focus in loud environments, this is the ideal spot for late-night studying.

Yelp Rating: 4
Tribune Rating: 4.5
Price: $$


Kafein Café-Bar

1429 Bishop St, Montreal, QC H3G 2E4
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Sunday:  11 a.m. – 7 a.m.

Kafein Café-Bar is a two-story café and bar serving coffee and $6 smoothies during the day, and $6 to $8 wine and cocktails in the evenings. This makes it the perfect spot for students who enjoy studying in a social atmosphere or those who like to reward a long day of studying with a drink. In addition to their beverages, Kafein Café-Bar has a varied food menu, which includes $8 salads and sandwiches, some of which are vegetarian and vegan. After ordering your food from the bar on the main floor, head up to the upper floor of the cafe-bar to study. This space has large windows, exposed brick, and two-person tables. Try to grab tables close to an outlet as well, which, unfortunately, are few and far between. The café plays loud music, so bring headphones if you prefer to work in silence. Assuming you’re able to grab a large enough table and an outlet, the cafe’s expansive menu, unlimited WiFi, and long hours make Kafein a good place to study all day long. 

Yelp Rating: 3.5
Tribune Rating: 4
Price: $$

Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

Poignant opera on the Kennedy family debuts in Canada

by Avleen Mokha on

More in Arts & Entertainment:

An opera in three acts, JFK offers a compelling insight into the private lives of the fabled Kennedy family. A collaborative undertaking by the Opéra de Montréal, the Fort Worth Opera, and the American Lyric Theater, JFK is a personal drama exploring the costs of being a public figure.

The narrative traces the 12 hours preceding former U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination in Dallas, Texas. The opera opens with an insomniac Jack (Matthew Worth) and Jackie (Daniela Mack) Kennedy in their hotel suite. While Jackie mourns the symbolic distance in their marriage, the President falls asleep in the bathtub. Jackie administers morphine to Jack to help him with his chronic back pain, and also takes some herself. Both Kennedys drift into their own narcotic-induced sleeps, setting up for a series of frenzied nightmares that reveals their subconscious fears and desires.

The emotive lyricism of Royce Vavrek’s text simply-yet-deftly captures the complex inner life of the two main protagonists. Jack’s nightmares underscore his personal struggles: His sense of guilt for his sister Rosemary Kennedy’s unsuccessful lobotomy, the fear of Texan democrats that taunt him (“Why can’t you get anything done in Washington?”), and the looming threat of the Soviet Communists. As he is pushed from one nightmare to the next, Jack’s character becomes helpless and tormented. However, Jack’s dream sequence is notably weaker than Jackie’s, who draws the majority of the audience’s sympathies. Mack’s impeccable performance communicates Jackie’s struggles with the loss of her two children, Arabella and Patrick, while trying to establish a sense of intimacy with her distant husband. Her monologues are rife with imagery of loss, as she mourns the pain of an empty crib. “The largest wound [is] the empty space where joy was meant to be,” Jackie cries.

For better or for worse, JFK is guided by emotions, not by plot. The opera heavily relies on the classical motif of “the Fates,” personifications of fate and destiny. In JFK, the three Fates are historical figures who were part of the Lincoln assassination plot. The opera reimagines each of these individuals within Kennedy’s context: Clara Harris is The Spinner, hotel maid; Henry Rathbone is the Allotter, secret service member; and the Cutter is most likely Lee Harvey Oswald. Through its allusions to the Fates, JFK is able to devote more time to the characters of Jack and Jackie Kennedy; unfortunately, this focus means that there is less development of antagonistic forces, thereby diluting the sense of threat.

JFK’s visual design is particularly commendable. The set, designed by Thaddeus Strassberger, employs striking symbolism, impressive illusions of depth, and a focus on sinister geometric patterns. A rectangular spotlight closes in on the newly-wed couple, injecting a sense of claustrophobia into a moment of joy. The design finds a delicate balance between realistic interiors and garish, neon lighting. The tasteful use of projections also adds an element of realism. For instance, as Jack relives his wedding dance with Jackie, black and white projections of the real Kennedys dancing on their wedding day breathe life into the characters onstage.

The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, with Steven Osgood as conductor, contributes to the ambiance of heightened sentimentality. During the choral introduction to the opera, flutes bolster the ghostly effects of the vocals. The final act, which features a more prominent stage presence of the Fates, is marked by heavy percussion and turbulent violin. As Jackie watches over a sleeping Jack, she mourns, “You are the American phenomenon. Where has Jack gone?” The real tragedy of JFK is not the external threat of assassination, but an internal one: A family whose life is “captured at shutter speed” has become too dysfunctional to heal. The pain is visceral; as the audience views the many rooms of the Kennedys’ suite, one wishes to look away for just a moment, if only to grant the doomed characters one moment of solitude.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

In memory of The Fall’s Mark E. Smith

by Kevin Reynolds on

More in Arts & Entertainment:

Mark E. Smith, who died Jan. 24, seemed somewhat immortal in a way that few artists can. As frontman of The Fall, in his 40-year career, Smith and his band released some 30 studio albums and just as many live albums, compilations, and collections of rarities.

Despite his ailing health, Smith sounds as youthful on The Fall’s last album, New Facts Emerge, as he did at any point in his inimitable career. Smith’s youthful intensity and prolific work ethic defined The Fall, almost more so than the music itself. Sure, The Fall are far from the only band to release a lot of albums. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard released 5 albums in 2017 alone; Gucci Mane somehow managed to export a seemingly endless supply of vocal tracks during his 2016 prison stint. What differentiates The Fall from their equally industrious peers, however, is the fact that they didn’t merely release a lot of good albums, but that their albums manage to sound, in the words of John Peel, “always different, but always the same.”

With a voice as distinct as Smith’s, it was impossible for the band to cut a record and not have it sound like The Fall. While the band’s identity is impossible to hide from those who know them, they don’t ever sound like The Fall of last year.

Smith was to The Fall what Jeff Tweedy is to Wilco, or Nick Cave is to the Bad Seeds. The Fall were essentially a collaborative solo project, a vehicle for presenting Smith’s caustic lyrics and madcap ideas in likely a more palatable format than what the vocalist could have made on his own.

The Fall are less of a band and more of an ever-shifting collective. While its nucleus has remained intact, the group has employed 66 members other than Smith throughout its lengthy existence. This influx of new ideas and members, coupled with Smith’s endless lyrical creativity, kept The Fall on their lively trajectory.  

Despite the fast turnover rate of their members, Smith’s lyrics and outlook rarely wavered. To their end, The Fall were always unpredictable, always funny, and always very British. Take my favorite Smith lyric, from the song, “Frightened,” featured on their first proper album, Live at the Witch Trials. In a thick Mancunian accent, Smith sing-songs, “I’m better than them, and I think I’m the best.” Smith never reveals to whom the “them” refers, but it is his attitude here that counts. Such a proclamation is brazen from such an untested artist, especially when one considers The Fall’s contemporaries. Smith belongs to one of the most legendary generations in recent music history, a golden age that includes the Talking Heads, The Cure, and Joy Division. Despite the band’s legendarily wreckless antics, such as re-arranging songs so as to make them purposefully incomprehensible, arriving on stage too intoxicated to perform, and shutting the sound off on various instruments mid-concert, The Fall somehow managed to outlive their more successful counterparts.

The Fall’s was not a fat, content old age. The band never lost their edge, remaining the cocky innovators they were at their inception—angry, funny, and cynical right up to the very end. In that sense, Mark E. Smith and The Fall truly were better than the others, and quite possibly the best band in their class.   

 

Off the Board, Opinion

When AI slips between the sheets

by Ayanna De Graff on

More in Off the Board:

Last week, I finally watched the 2015 sci-fi and artificial intelligence (AI)-themed movie, Ex Machina. Providing viewers with an in-depth look at the possibilities of AI in a not-so-far future, the film centres around the relationship between a young programmer named Caleb and a seductive robot, Ava. Caleb is mandated to administer the “Turing test”—essentially testing whether Ava can fool a human into thinking that she is not a machine. Aside from Ava’s superior looks and intelligence, and Caleb’s fatal attraction to both, the movie highlights an inevitable issue in the AI debate—the fine line between artificial intelligence and human intelligence, and what happens when it is blurred.

While most researchers seem confident in the possibility of turning a machine into a human, the question as to how to keep humans from turning into machines doesn’t seem to have crossed many minds. Yet, increasingly, the virtual, emotionally-detached, efficiency-driven way of machines has come to govern our society and relationships. Often, this is more harmful than helpful.

In the incessant technological race to simulate humans, AI and human-looking androids have also taken a new, darker purpose as sex robots. These are app-operated machines with the outward physique of a human, whose ultimate goal is not to beat you at chess, but to please you in bed. With a customizable appearance, they can go on for hours. They may very well be the ideal sexual partner for the aloof, feelings-apprehensive, self-centered lover of the 21st century.

This use of AI most likely—and understandably—makes many uncomfortable. The thought of a robot as a sexual partner to a human seems unnatural, awkward, and perhaps even unethical. But, while treating an AI creation as just a physical shell to satisfy our most lustful desires sounds undesirably creepy, it simultaneously reflects how some of us have come to treat our most intimate relationships.

In today’s “hookup culture,” which allows only virtual emotional contact and restricted physical interaction, and where it seems we sometimes meet one another with the sole purpose of fulfilling biological impulses, the parallel to sex robots is not so far-fetched. In our quest to remove ourselves from emotional attachments, we’ve come to treat each other like robots in our intimate interactions. The online dating game exacerbates this trend; from apps, to social media, to Craigslist ads, it’s never been easier to meet people without any real-world contact, and never truly engage with them. It’s also never been easier to dehumanize the person on the other side of the phone screen: From a specific body type, hair or eye colour, ethnicity, to height, we choose and judge the person as if they’re not real. Akin to a virtual machine, the being on the other end is mainly there to fulfill an idealized version of our desires.

In our quest to remove ourselves from emotional attachments, we’ve come to treat each other like robots in our intimate interactions.

It is no surprise, then, that in Ex Machina, Ava eventually passes the test, and Caleb comes to believe that the AI does love him, subsequently falling for her. Even today, sexbots on virtual chat websites are hardly anything worth raising an eyebrow over; fake, machine-generated dating profiles are ubiquitous, because increasingly they’re not so different from our human interactions.

Perhaps it’s the machines that have become a lot like us: They have emotional intelligence, can take on our physical form, and may very soon become smarter than us. But, it’s not far-fetched to think that it’s our interactions—which are often detached and surface-level—that truly make AI objects seem so human. If we treat each other like robots, it’s no wonder that we then struggle to tell both apart.

Google’s Director of Engineering Ray Kurzweil has predicted that in 2029 computers will reach human-level intelligence. Ironically, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has argued that to save humanity from irrelevance, humans should be turned into cyborgs, so that they can become the superior machine of the two.

The advancement of AI and the automation of our society are inevitable and have already begun. Soon, human-looking machines will be walking among us, which is why it’s all the more important to remember that we are humans—not machines—and must treat each other as such.

 

Ayanna De Graff is a U3 Economics and Statistics student at McGill and copy editor at the Tribune. Her name means “sunny flower” in Swahili.

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]
Art, Arts & Entertainment

FAC’s latest iteration of Nuit Blanche explores reiteration

by Sophie Panzer on

More in Art:

Those who braved the trek across a snowy campus on Feb. 1 were rewarded with an evening of inspiring student artwork. The McGill Fine Arts Council (FAC) hosted its annual Nuit Blanche exhibition in the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) building. Nuit Blanche featured McGill-based artists and fine arts clubs, including organizations devoted to dance, creative writing, visual art, theatre, and music. This year’s theme “Itero,” which translates roughly to “Reiteration,” was designed to question the role of repetition in the creation of art.  The event questions whether there’s such a thing as a truly original idea, or if all art is just a reimagination of its predecessors.

As most student artists at McGill are painfully aware, the university offers very few academic opportunities for creative expression—there are no studio arts courses, and ENGL 364, the one creative writing course offered through the English department, is usually capped at 15 students. However, the variety of talent displayed at Nuit Blanche shows that there are plenty of clubs and student groups that can provide artistic inspiration and community instead.

The McGill Students’ Visual Arts Society and the Fridge Door Gallery both featured visual art exhibitions at Nuit Blanche. Visitors were greeted with vibrant shapes and colours featured in larger works mounted on the walls, and encountered more delicate pieces such as small sculptures and sketches while perusing the tables. Several artists displayed sketchbooks or diaries that contained both polished and in-progress work, offering audiences an in-depth look at their creative process. In her piece “Sketchbook,” Leah Smith, U3 Sociology and Philosophy, offered viewers a glimpse of her creative inspiration through collages featuring images of women against backdrops of brightly coloured magazine advertisements. Several tables in the SSMU ballroom were covered by blank paper so that visitors could doodle when inspiration struck.

There was also a section devoted solely to student photography. This exhibition featured the McGill University Photography Students Society (MUPSS) as well as the independently curated work of Nina Chabel, U2 Art History and English Literature, and Madeline Kinney, U3 Cultural Studies. Chabel’s series “Tourists” featured visitors at a museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, snapping pictures on their phones, asking audience members to reflect on the extent to which they view the world through a screen. Chabel also had other photos of St. Petersburg featured in the Fridge Door Gallery section. These shots featured a soft colour palette and vintage vehicles, making viewers feel as though they were gazing at a reiteration of the past.

In addition to visual artwork, the evening featured several performing artists. There were three McGill dance groups in attendance. The members of Alegria performed contemporary ballet, Inertia focused on modern dance, and Mosaica performed a mix of jazz, contemporary, ballet, hip-hop, and tap. Each group danced against the backdrop of a slideshow of artwork featured in F WORD, a Montreal-based feminist zine and collective. The SSMU ballroom also held performances by Montreal-based folk artists Vikki Gilmore,  Clyde Veer, and Shit Whitman, as well as indie rock artists Lara Antebi and Juan Egana.

Editors from the literary magazines The Veg  and Scrivener Creative Review  sold back issues of their publications, which feature work from the McGill and Montreal community.

Much of the artwork on display did not strictly adhere to the theme “Reiteration.” However, viewers could still be amazed at the devotion and talent of the artists represented at Nuit Blanche. The artists’ works offered a view of McGill student life that is not always visible but always worth seeing.

McGill, Montreal, News

Ceremony commemorates held on the anniversary of Quebec City mosque attack

by Victoria Flaherty on

More in McGill:

On Jan. 29, several campus groups held a ceremony of remembrance to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the 2017 attack on the Centre Culturel Islamique du Québec, one of the largest mosques in Quebec City. Members of the McGill community and the public gathered in the atrium of the Lorne M. Trottier Building to honour the six men killed and 19 injured when Alexandre Bissonnette opened fire during a time of prayer in what was labelled a terrorist attack.

The ceremony was hosted by the McGill Muslim Students’ Association (MSA), the Institute for Islamic Studies, the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office (SEDE), and the Joint Board-Senate Committee on Equity.

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Shanice Yarde, equity educational advisor at SEDE, stressed the importance of creating a safe space for those impacted by racial and religious violence at McGill.

“It’s incredibly important to [console] Muslim students on and off campus who are directly impacted by this,” Yarde said. “[The shooting] was horrific, and a year later the impacts are still horrific, so we have to still be in conversation critiquing islamophobia.”

Six members of the Montreal and McGill community took turns speaking to condemn racism, emphasize the power of unity, and promote tolerance. After calling for attendees to observe a minute of silence, Angela Campbell, associate provost (Equity and Academic Policies), reminded the crowd of the massacre’s widespread impact.

“This tragedy shook our communities, our province, and our country,” Campbell said.

Next to speak was Sue Montgomery, mayor of Cote-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grace. She addressed the prevalence of islamophobia in Quebec and urged attendees to interfere when witnessing racism or harassment. She also announced that the city council is working toward a declaration condemning islamophobia.

“Hatred comes from a very dark place,” Montgomery said. “Recognizing that [islamophobia] does exist is imperative if we’re going to change anything in this province.

Pasha M. Khan, assistant professor at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill, took the podium next, and stressed how important it was to feel both pain and power in memory.  

“We all have power, in whatever ways,” Khan said. “But when do we know that we have power? When do we feel that we have power? It’s when we’re putting it to use, exercising power, giving other people power or it’s when other people are giving power to me.”

Student activists Salma Youssef, U3 Science, and Nahal Siraj Fansia, U3 Nursing, also spoke at the ceremony, urging others to practice peace, tolerance, and social awareness.

“When we practice respect and acceptance, two values emphasized by all religions, we eliminate the possibility of intolerance, the inability to understand differences of opinion,” Youssef said. “As we’ve come to learn, ignorance breeds fear, fear breeds hate, and hate breeds violence. This day should be an active reminder of the state of our country. It isn’t enough to hope for change. We must be the ones to continue to encourage tolerance and acceptance, and it starts with our own fortitude.”

Ehab Lotayef, activist and IT manager at McGill, concluded the ceremony by announcing McGill’s new efforts to commemorate the massacre and prevent similar incidents. The university will plant a tree on campus in memory of the victims and the event. In addition, the creation of a new merit-based financial award is underway to subsidize educational expenses for students who promote the inclusion of Muslim members of the McGill community.

In an interview with the Tribune, attendee Sara Hany, U1 Engineering, expressed the shock that reverberated through the nation following the attack.

“[Canada]’s supposed to be a peaceful country, so I felt sad that the harmony started to fade,” Hany said. “It’s important to remember [the shooting] because terrorism has no religion.”

Science & Technology

Mind your brain: Improving concussion care

by Gwenyth Wren on

More in Science & Technology:

On Jan. 30, Concussion MTL hosted “Looking Ahead: Improving Concussion Care,” a speaker series focused on concussion prevention, care, and rehabilitation.

The CDC defines concussions as traumatic brain injuries caused by a blow to the head, or by a hit to the body that causes the brain to twist or make contact with the skull. Deborah Friedman, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatric Surgery at McGill and director of trauma at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, explained the difficulties of caring for a patient with a concussion.

“Concussions by nature all have different trajectories,” Friedman said. “What works for one patient may not work for another. Different cases are all individualized.”

Not only are cases difficult to treat because of their individualistic nature, but the healing process for a concussed individual is not linear, nor is it universal. Nevertheless, there is a set of guidelines that patients with a concussion should follow.

“The first 48 hours are a critical healing period,” Friedman said. “During those 2 days, a person should sleep [and] stay away from screens and stimulus. However, after that it’s best to slowly integrate [non]-intensive cardio and attempt to return to work and school without pushing yourself.”

Unfortunately, there is no test that can rate the severity of a concussion with 100 per cent accuracy, or ensure a quick recovery. CT scans and MRIs won’t show anything unless the patient is experiencing a brain bleed.  

Dr. Gordon Bloom, professor of sport psychology at McGill, explained why this uncertainty presents such a barrier in the recovery process and contributes to the stigma related to concussions.

“With most injuries, doctors and patients alike understand how to get to from point A [the injury] to the finish line, [but] that’s not the case with concussions,” Bloom said. “Doctors can’t give you an exact timeline. Due to this, we are seeing athletes and students alike return to sport, work, or school too early because of a fear of what they are going to miss.”

While this may address the cognitive and physical aspects of concussions, there is another important, often neglected, factor. Hilary Duncan, a clinical psychologist with Blake Psychology, addressed the emotional aspect of the injury: A side of concussion care that receives little attention.

“We see two major things when patients are recovering: Guilt and doubt,” Duncan said. “They always question whether they are babying themselves. The increasing awareness of concussions is very good but we are trailing behind in the mental health-related stuff.”

Recovering from a concussion can be difficult, and a long road if the patient doesn’t follow through on the initial steps to recovery. Friedman has patients who tell her that they wish they could have suffered from a broken bone, or a more obvious injury that other people would believe and accomodate for. This is a recurring theme in concussion recovery. As an otherwise-invisible injury, it is difficult for a concussed individual to get support for their physical and emotional pain, in turn making it less likely for them to seek accommodations.  

The field of concussion research is booming, but preventative strategies are falling short. As frequent diagnoses of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)—a degenerative brain disease resulting from repetitive trauma—continue to permeate the mainstream media, doctors and teachers are brought up to speed on how to best treat concussions. Experts working in concussion care and prevention should focus on teaching coaches, parents, and students how best to mitigate them.

Throughout the panel, the speakers unanimously suggested that spreading awareness and implementing measures to avoid head trauma such as practicing non-contact sports and wearing helmets is a good start, but it’s not enough. Society needs to be proactive, not reactive.

“The concussion epidemic now [is as dangerous as] the smoking epidemic,” Bloom said. “The research isn’t out yet so people don’t want to believe it, [but] people are going to look back and realized they missed out.”

1 … 587 588 589 590 591 … 1,363

Read the latest issue

Read the latest issue